Sri Lanka mulls cutting excessive airport fees to boost tourism – The way forward- Sri Lanka reviewing airport fees to increase tourist traction.

Sri Lanka | Image Credit: calflier001, SRI LANKAN AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-200 4R-ALB FLIGHT UL886 AT COLOMBO AIRPORT BOUND FOR BANGKOK AND SHANGHAI JAN 2013 (8512982674), CC BY-SA 2.0

Sri Lanka is thinking of reviewing its airport fees to increase tourist traction due to the competition in the tourism sector between the neighboring countries. In addition to the airport fees, the state also levies a value-added tax and nation building tax on tourist products. With luxury resorts in Sri Lanka expanding such as Blue Water Club Suites, a review on the airport fees will pave the way to gain better traction to these resorts.

Due to a state-run monopoly on fuel, the Sri Lankan airport fees amount up to 40% of any inbound flight ticket. The tourism minister of Sri Lanka has taken lead in an initiative to review these prices namely the embarkation fee to avoid any adverse effects it might cause towards any inbound travelers and the overall tourism industry in Sri Lanka.